• Classrooms
• Preschool
• Kindergarten
• Primary Circle
  (Grades 1 & 2)
• Middle Circle
  (Grades 3 & 4)
• Oldest Group
  (Grades 5 & 6)
• Art
• Technology
• Library
• Music
• Science
• Woodshop
• Service Learning and Partnerships
• Mini Courses
• Sports
• After School

Wednesday afternoons, children work in multi-age groups on special topics and projects.

Jane and Robin led a mini-course titled “Helping to End Hunger.” During the first session, children shared why they had chosen the mini-course and wondered aloud why some people in the community are hungry while we ourselves are always well-fed. Then we watched a video about Aid for Friends, a regional program that delivers frozen home-cooked meals to elderly housebound folks who need friendship and food assistance.

Next, we used fresh leftover food from our school lunch program to prepare nutritious dinner trays, which we placed in the school freezer.A school parent involved in Aid for Friends picked them up later and delivered them to his church, which provides volunteers for delivering the food and visiting with the clients. We were thrilled to find that in just a half hour, we were able to prepare 27 dinners—more than three weeks worth of meals for one friend in the community. After the first session, the kids reflected on the experience:

“I liked it because it was fun and I knew that I was helping other people, and it felt good to know that.

“I liked that we helped people. We didn’t just let them NOT have food—we’re helping them!”

“It was fun to put the stuff in the trays.”

“It was really good because we helped people who don’t have enough food or can’t cook it. And it feels good to help people.”

“You don’t just give it to people. You give it to really old people. They don’t just drop off the meals and leave [they stay and visit as friends].”

“I liked it. It was fun. I had fun making things for other people. I feel bad for people who live alone and can’t get out of the house.”

During the second session, we took a field trip to The Bernardine Center, a community food cupboard on Chester’s west end. We met with the staff and learned how the Center serves low-income families in the neighborhood, then we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. Some kids stocked shelves in the pantry rooms while others weighed, recorded, and sorted bags and bags of donated food. It was great to meet adults in the community who work to serve people in need. We were also interested to learn that The Bernardine Center preserves the dignity of its clients by offering a host of grocery choices, unlike some other centers, which simply hand people a bag full of pre-selected food. All the kids asked to return another time, if possible.

During the third session, we turned our attention to the question of international hunger relief. We discussed the impracticality of shipping our own food donations overseas and agreed that a financial contribution would be more efficient. We whipped up a batch of Rice Krispy Treats and delicious fudge brownies and set up an impromptu bake sale toward the end of the school day. In about 20 minutes, we had sold out of everything and were amazed to learn that our little sale had raised $31.15.

During the final session of the mini-course, we explored the web site of Heifer International, an economic development organization which provides live animals to families throughout the world. We learned that Heifer International is special because it focuses on self-sufficiency and developing families’ sustainable livelihoods, rather than just emergency assistance. Kids read about how a cow or sheep or even a hive of bees can make a world of difference for a struggling family, and eventually uplift whole communities. We agreed to send off the $31.15 to Heifer International and we spent the remaining time writing a letter and drawing pictures to accompany the donation.

As the group reflected on the short mini-course, we talked about what we could do if we had more time. The kids quickly realized that we could multiply the power of our efforts if we educated others about what we had done. Since the mini-course was unusually short, we did not have time to make such a plan, but we hope that this web page might spur others to act to end hunger—locally and internationally. Some other ideas the kids wanted to pursue included: returning to the Bernardine Center, finding a way to support orphans, cheering up hospital patients, and assisting homeless people.

Other examples of service learning mini-courses are making quilts as a beautiful gift for ABC Quilts, a group that donates handmade quilts for infants living with HIV/AIDS and volunteering at the Bernardine Center, a food cupboard in Chester.